The eighteen-armed deity adorned with elaborate jewellery, seated in dhyanasana atop a large lotus flower on a tall stem emerging from a pond, with sixteen arms holding attributes symbolising the various means to gain enlightenment, the remaining two pairs arranged in meditative mudras, the lotus throne flanked by two attendants in long robes, each with a halo around the head, the panel mounted in a Ming Dynasty floral brocade border, 115 x 56cm.

The results of a carbon 14 test, are consistent with the dating of this lot.

此拍品附碳14年代檢測報告

Cundi Bodhisattva

When Cundi Bodhisattva first appeared in China during in the eighth century she was defined as biezun, an object of specific veneration in her own right with her own self-contained cult, only later incorporated within larger constellations of deities.

The Amoghavajra version of the Cundi dharana sutra gave specific instruction as to the iconographic depiction of Cundi, consolidating and standardising her status, although her iconography was widely reinterpreted and altered across East Asia over the succeeding centuries. During the Liao Dynasty (907 – 1125) Cundi Bodhisattva gained a prominent foothold as a cult figure in China which she has maintained through to the Qing Dynasty.

For the Buddhist practitioner depictions of Cundi are not simply representational but are also considered to embody her and a spiritual connection with her is further enhanced through the recitation of her mantra, the Cundi Dharaṇi.

Whilst Cundi is often represented in the form of bronze sculpture, embroidered depictions are exceptionally rare. From the Yuan Dynasty onwards Cundi was depicted on circular bronze mirrors where her image would be depicted within a border of her mantra written in lança or Chinese script. She would often be depicted from the back, so when the practitioner was looking into the smooth side of the mirror and reciting the mantra, it would be as though she was facing him from beyond/within the reflective surface (figure 1).

The medium of embroidered silk is perfectly suited to convey the majesty of Cundi. The gold thread, embroidered in the characteristically early split stitch technique is made up of twisted threads over the face to distributes reflected light across its surface in an even tone. In contrast the smooth thread over the arms and shoulders to fill the body in a golden glow. The green sash over the shoulders is layered above the skin and other layers of clothing providing depth and the way it is folded between Cundi’s various arms lends dynamic tension to the pose. For a depiction of Cundi on paper dated to the Kangxi era, see Poly Auction, 7 June 2017, lot 6041.

This piece has clearly had a religious life spanning the centuries since its creation and whilst the provenance goes back to 1930 its locations before then remains a mystery consistent with the figure’s enigmatic character.

Literature:

R.M. Gimello, ‘Icon and Incantation: The Goddess Zhunti and the Role of Images in the Occult Buddhism of China’ in Images in Asian Religions: Text and Contexts